Monday, February 8, 2010

THE DECLARATION and its sequel THE RESISTANCE are set in a world where a longevity drug has been developed that essentially lets people live forever. Sounds great at first - until you realize that if no one dies and people keep having children, population growth explodes and there just aren’t enough resources to go around. That’s why everyone who takes longevity drugs must sign a declaration saying that they will not have children.

THE DECLARATION followed the story of a 15 year old girl, Anna, who was born illegally to parents who signed the declaration, was caught and then sent to a surplus hall to work off her debt to society. It was a fascinating introduction to this dystopian world, and even though plotwise it didn't completely satisfy, it was thought provoking and introduced a couple of really well-rounded characters. (Read my full review of THE DECLARATION).

THE RESISTANCE seems to exist solely to make the dangers of immortality at a societal level excruciatingly clear. While a drug like Longevity is of course an amazing breakthrough for the individual, it is poised to be the ultimate destroyer of mankind, as society needs a continuous cycle of youth for its renewal. Without that renewal – a culture grows stagnant, the people brittle and egocentric.

These are certainly interesting ideas to explore, but the execution seems a little one sided. Every adult not in the resistance (with one notable exception) is portrayed as irredeemably selfish and heartless. The resistance claims that mankind’s only hope is in the few teens, like Anna and her friend Peter, who haven’t been seduced by Longevity – but the plot does these teens a great disservice by demanding that they do stupid things. Fortunately for them, the adults do stupid things too, and in the end it’s just luck and coincidence that determines everyone’s fate.

A third book in the series THE REVELATION is set for an October 2010 release. The teaser summary is enticing: "It appears Longevity isn't working and the drugs promising eternal youth are failing to live up to their promises. A virus is sweeping the country, killing in its wake, and Longevity is powerless to fight it." Maybe death is just the thing to bring new life to this concept.

Both THE DECLARATION and THE RESISTANCE are out now in paperback. Find out more about them at the publisher's website.

My Rating for THE RESISTANCE: 1 Zombie Chicken - For Dystopian Completists Only (I'd give THE DECLARATION 3 Zombie Chickens though, so if you really liked that one, you may be more inclined to like its sequel than I was.)See index of all dystopian reviews on Presenting Lenore

Oh, I've read so many glowing reviews for both books that I'm quite surprised to see you weren't really blown away by either. Thanks for the honest review though! I have both books sitting on my shelf so we'll see what I think of them if I ever get round to them. ;)

All joking aside, I actually loved this book. I never wrote a review for it though because I had a hard time explaining why I liked it so much. I just did. I'm tempted to ask you to cross post this on the dystopian blog. It is nice to have a different opinion. :D

P.S. gonna send Birthmarked. I got so bored that I couldn't finish the ending, so the deal is you have to tell me what happens. ok? lol

I've been hearing a lot of good things about these books recently, it's nice to get this perspective though. I too hate when the entire plot hinges on people doing stupid things, so this series might not be my thing. Great reviews, love the zombie chickens!

Sounds like a great idea, but poor execution. I hate it when a plot overdoes the coincidence angle. I will be interested in hearing what you think of the third book, but I don't think I will be itching to add these to my collection. Maybe I will just grab them from the library. Great and thoughtful review Lenore.

This actually kind of sounds like my thing. I'm really fascinated by explorations of culture and society. But I'll probably try to find them from the library because I do hate characters doing stupid things.

I looooooooved The Declaration, was underwhelmed by The Resistance (did Anna really have to get all OMG babies on us?), but I'm kind of curious about The Revelation. I think it came out in England under The Revealers, as I have that on my list already.

I have just read The Declaration and loved it. I just couldn't put it down. It is a real dystopian book and I really recommend it to anyone who wants a good read. I am just about to read The Resistence and I hope it is as good as The Declaration :)